A Second Chance
by Emzieluvsbooks
Summary: Saruman may have failed to obtain the Ring of Power, but he does not give up easily. He found a way into another world and he brought the ring with him. As well as the Fellowship. Join them as they try to get back to ME, keep the ring from Saruman, save the world (both of them), at the same time as learning about smoke detectors, cars, refrigerators, and jail ;-)
1. Prologue

**A/N: Well, this is my first Lord of the Rings fic. It's also my first multi-chapter fic. I hope you all read and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize.**

Prologue

I have failed.

I was unable to destroy Rohan, unable to wipe out the world of men, unable to claim leadership over all of Middle-Earth. I have failed, when the Ring of Power was within my grasp.

All of my work, everything has been for naught.

Death did not lessen my desire for it, did not lessen my want for power. My heart yearned for it; and my mind desperately sought ways to obtain it.

And I have found a way.

I discovered the way into another world. Here the ring will easily give me the power to take over these beings. Much like men from my own world they are, except weaker, more susceptible to the power of the ring, more vulnerable.

My plan will work nicely from here. I know how to bring the Ring of Power into this new and strange land, and here I will use it as I see fit. I will make this world great, far greater than Middle-Earth. I will be answerable to no one; Sauron shall hold no power over me. No one will be able to stop me.

After all, Gandalf Greyhame is not the only wizard who can rise from the dead.

**Second A/N: Yes this was very short. I'm also posting the first chapter as soon as I find out how to post chapters, so you guys will have more than just a couple sentences. So anyways, PLEASE REVIEW! I love them so much :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: So after much trial and error and deleting of chapters and then re-posting them, I think I FINALLY got this right. Yay me :) So before you read this chapter, there are some things you should know. First and foremost, yes, there is a teenage girl OC in this story. And before all of you immediately leave because you're mary-sue alert is screaming, please just try it. I have done everything in my power to be a sure as I can possibly be that she is NOT a mary-sue. I know I'm treading dangerous water here, but I am trying the best I can. And before all of you romance lovers get all hopeful and such, there is NOT going to be a romance between my OC and one of the canon characters. I just do not do that kind of thing. All of that being said, I really hope you enjoy my first official chapter ********(since my prologue was really only a couple of sentences)**.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing sadly :'( Wish I did.**

Chapter One

"SYYYYYYYYYYYYYDNEEEEEEEEEEEY!" someone screamed in my ear by way of a wake-up call. The most obnoxious, annoying, pain-in-the-ass wake up call in the world. Only one person wakes me up that way.

I responded as I usually did; by screaming at the top of my lungs, jerking up as one who has just experienced a nightmare would, ripping off my bedazzled sleep mask, and nearly bopping heads with my kid brother who was currently sitting on my knees and grinning like a maniac, a mischievous gleam in his blue eyes.

"Haha, that always wakes you up." Jamie giggled and bounced up and down on my legs.

"Ow, ow, ow," I yelped as he managed to practically break my shins, "QUIT IT you little brat, that hurts." I shoved him off the bed and onto the floor, then flopped back onto the pillows and covered my head with my feather comforter. "Now go away before I am forced to kill you."

Jamie picked himself up off of the floor and whined, "But Sydney, Mommy said that you had to take care of me while she was gone. And I'm hungry!" He started poking me incessantly in the shoulder.

I groaned and sat up again. It was true. Mom and Dad had gone onto a week-long vacation to Hawaii (unforgivably leaving me behind!) and decided that at seventeen I was old enough to take care of my incredibly obnoxious brother. A whole week of _my_ summer vacation spent babysitting a seven-year-old, hyper-active, annoying little boy whose sole purpose in life seemed to be to make sure that I never lived to turn eighteen.

Let the fun times begin.

I smacked Jamie's hand away and shoved him towards the door. "Stop bugging me Jamie. Go make yourself some Cheerios or something if you're hungry." I pulled my mask back over my eyes and curled up under the blankets. "I'll be out in a few minutes." Or maybe not.

Jamie's voice whined at an incredibly annoying pitch that only seven year old boys seem to be able to master. "But it's Saturday. Mommy always made chocolate chip pancakes on Saturday."

I glared daggers at Jamie. Well, as well as I could with my eyes covered by my sparkly blue mask. I think I conveyed the feeling behind it well enough though.

My voice came out soft and dangerous, the classic big-sister voice. "Do you want to starve, kid? Mom is not here and she put me in charge, and that means that you have to do what I say. Now get out of my room and make yourself your own breakfast."

Jamie gulped. "You can't boss me around anymore."

Oh can't I?

I made a little growling noise and, ripping my mask off again, I lunged forward and grabbed Jamie around the waist. I jerked him onto the bed and started tickling him mercilessly, laughing evilly. Jamie squealed and thrashed but there was no way I was letting go anytime soon. I tickled him until he turned red and started making those little squeaking noises that happen when someone is laughing so hard that they literally can't get enough air.

I decided to show mercy and let him go. He curled up on his side, clutching at his stomach and gasping until he could breath normally again. I grinned at him and made a claw-like gesture with my fingers.

"Who can't order you around Jamie?"

Jamie pouted and, slumping his shoulders in defeat, shuffled out of my room and, doubtless, into the kitchen. I grinned smugly over my victory and allowed myself a little self-congratulation. After a couple of fist pumps, I tried once again to go back to sleep.

I couldn't. There's something about a tickle war that gets me too hyped up to sleep. Sighing, I rolled myself out of bed, grabbed my shampoo and conditioner, and shuffled into the bathroom to shower.

I peeled off my fuzzy, panda-bears pajama pants and turquoise tank top and turned the shower settings to hot. I ran the water over my palm until it was the right temperature, so hot it nearly scalded my skin but not quite, and I jumped in.

I wasn't in the steamy hot water for more than ten minutes when I heard a tentative knock on the bathroom door. _What is it now Jamie_, I thought and I shut off the water so I could hear what he was saying. I wrapped a fluffy white towel around me and wiped off the soap suds in my hair. I went over to the door and, unable to disguise the vast irritation I was feeling, said, "What do you want Jamie?"

"Um, Sydney…will you come out for a couple minutes?"

Hmmmm, what could have happened that was so bad that he didn't want to say what it was. I shuddered to think of it. I pulled on my silky blue bathrobe and slowly opened the door. Jamie stood there, a pleading expression on his face, hanging his head so his floppy black hair was falling over his eyes.

I paused for a second. "Well."

Jamie didn't say a word; he just shuffled in the direction of the kitchen. Raising an eyebrow, Spock style, I followed.

And I stopped dead at the sight that greeted me from the kitchen doorway.

Jamie had somehow managed to drop the brand-new gallon of milk on the floor in such a way that it had freaking _exploded_. I mean, how was that even _possible_? Milk covered the kitchen floor and droplets were generously sprayed over the cupboards and counters. Our kitten, Lil' Miss, was in heaven, lapping up all of the milk she could get at and splashing all over the place. Not only that, but he had also knocked over the box of Cheerios so that they were _also_ scattered all over the kitchen. _And _his cereal bowl was shattered close to where the Cheerios had spilled everywhere.

I just stared at it for a minute or so, shocked speechless that one little person could possibly make such a mess. Then I got a hold of myself enough to give my best evil death-to-little-brothers stare at Jamie.

Jamie flinched and instantly burst into a steady stream of defensive chatter. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I didn't mean too but the milk was just too heavy and I dropped it and I was going to clean it up before you got out of the shower but the Cheerios got knocked over and then I accidentally broke my bowl when I went to pick those up and now I kind of need your help." Jamie looked up at me with his pleading, puppy dog eyes that always manage to melt me. "I'm sorry Sydney."

I managed to glare a couple more seconds before the puppy dog eyes wore me down and I, of course, melted. "Well then little bro. The Cheerios are done for." I sighed, then said, " It looks like we're going to have chocolate chip pancakes after all."

_~Lord of the Rings~_

I flopped onto our worse-for-wear navy blue sofa with two plates of chocolate chip pancakes thirty minutes later and let out my breath in a woof. One crisis successfully averted. I placed the plates onto the table then waited for Jamie to come in with the orange juice (there was no milk left after Jamie's little adventure).

He came a few minutes later, holding onto the glasses of orange juice so carefully it was almost comical. Almost. I'd be damned if another mess like the one in the kitchen happened under my watch.

I tried to straighten my tangled, unrinsed, shampoo-crusted hair as Jamie slowly, _slowly_ walked over to the couch and set the glasses down. I grabbed the remote control and turned the TV onto Spongebob. "Okay Jamie, I'm going to go take a shower and wash all of this muck off of me. Can you stay out of trouble for that long?"

Jamie nodded, his mouth stuffed with an ultra big bite of pancake, his eyes glued to the TV, watching Spongebob's ridiculous antics take place in front of him. I studied him and decided that there was no possible way for him to get into trouble if he stayed where he was and was careful (and I threatened him with death if he somehow managed to make another mess).

Satisfied, I went back into the bathroom to take my second shower in the last hour.

_~Lord of the Rings~_

I hopped out, wrapped a fluffy white towel around me and walked to my room. Getting dressed was nothing fancy, just a black T-shirt I got at a Star Trek convention and low-slung blue jeans. The untamable curly brown hair that was the bane of my life went up into a ponytail. I slipped metal bangles onto my arms and black flip-flops on my feet.

When you're seventeen, make-up and jewelry are a necessity, whether you're leaving the house or not. Mine consisted of electric blue eye-liner, lip-gloss, and stainless steel studs in my ears and nose. I was just about to finish by applying mascara when the ground started to shake under my feet. I fell forward and caught myself on the mirror, smearing mascara all over it in the process.

The ground heaved and bucked under my feet, throwing me into the wall and then the floor. Instinct took over and I curled into a ball, covering my head with my arms. My numerous picture frames fell off the wall with heavy thumps. My lamp toppled over and smashed into my arms hard enough to leave a bruise. I was tossed up and down like a pebble in the dryer and felt just about as helpless as one. I may have screamed a couple times, I don't really remember.

I stayed curled up on the floor for a while after the ground stopped shaking, trembling as if I had hypothermia. When it finally dawned on me that the monstrous earthquake was over, I slowly raised my head and looked around blearily. My brain was in shock mode and I was trying to get it to calm down enough for me to stand.

"SYDNEY!"

The scream tore through my shock. Jamie. I had forgotten about Jamie. The earthquake would have scared him so much. I had to get him out of here.

Using the bed as a support, I lurched to my feet and nearly fell over again. Dammit, I did _not _want to get up. I wanted to stay curled up on the floor until someone came to help and comfort _me. _I didn't want the role of helper and comforter.

I stayed hunched over the metal bedpost until I heard Jamie cry again. I couldn't stay there as much as I wanted to. Jamie needed me. I stumbled over to the door. Curse the responsibility that older sisters automatically get charged with.

Swinging it open, I started rushing down the hall as fast as my shaky legs could carry me. I stumbled into the living room where Jamie had been eating his breakfast and I stopped dead in my tracks.

Eight strange men were standing in our living room. They were wearing weird clothes, the kind you only see in King Arthur movies or something. They were looking around themselves in a confused fashion, as though they didn't know where they were. Some of them were rather small, like the three or four feet high at the most kind of small. They all looked kind of ragged, their clothes were dirty and soiled, and their hair was the same.

And, there was something awfully familiar about them. I shook this thought around in my head for a moment, but I was too darn confused to make any sense of it.

Then I noticed that they had weapons. Old-fashioned weapons, freaking swords and axes and bows, that also looked as though they belonged in a King Arthur movie. I didn't really care, weapons were weapons and these were strangers, potentially dangerous strangers.

And Jamie was right in the middle of them.

**Second A/N: You guys all know who those eight men are dontcha? I tried to make it obvious. I know this chapter was a little bit slow, but I promise the next chapter is definitely more exciting. Hope you guys all stick around to read it. Anyways, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I love them so much :) **


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, here's chapter two. It's a lot more exciting like I promised. I hope you all enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to the wonderful mastermind that is J.R.R. Tolkien.**

Chapter 2

I didn't stop to think. I just grabbed the first potential weapon I saw, a golf club that my dad had just left lying around after he had practiced his swing, and ran right at them, swinging for all I was worth.

Yep, master of diplomacy, that's me.

I got in range of a tall man with light brown hair and hit him with a heavy thwack on the back. And was I surprised when it just bounced right off of him with a metallic clang, the force of the rebound sending painful tremors up and down my arms. He grunted in surprise rather than pain and whirled around to face me. His ridiculous cloak shifted and I saw a shield. A freaking _shield_ covered his entire back.

Well. That was just cheating.

I recovered and swung again, a huge, clumsy stroke aimed at his head that he avoided easily. I swore under my breath and tried again, but a hand appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the golf club and stopping it dead in the air.

I turned and found myself staring into a pair of piercing grey eyes. They were stern eyes that seemed to look right through me, seeing all of my faults and all of my weaknesses all at once. But there was also a kindness in them, gentleness that I found myself trusting.

Yeah, I nipped that trust right in the bud and quickly.

I tried to rip the golf club out of his grip, but it was more like he pulled it right out of my hands without even seeming to try. Stupid, weak chicken arms. I went to plan B, lunging forward and shoving Jamie behind me, placing myself between him and the strange men. I stood there for a moment, panting, jerking my head from side to side looking for an escape.

I must have had the "deer in the headlights" look, because the grey-eyed man approached me very cautiously, the way you would approach a frightened animal that you are scared might bite you. He carefully raised his hands in a placating gesture and said gently, "Easy milady. We mean you and yours no harm. Please calm down."

I glared at him distrustfully and assessed him as I felt he had already assessed me. He had stringy, dark brown hair that fell in disarray around his shoulders. He wore leather clothes and high, mud stained boots. A silver-grey cloak fell around his figure and a long sword hung at his side. He had a care-worn face, but it was kind, with smile crinkles around his grey eyes, a trustworthy face. And a familiar face.

Once again, I dismissed that thought as unimportant and unexplainable at the moment and I snapped, "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?"

The grey-eyed man opened his mouth to say something, but the ground started bucking under our feet, cutting him off. I groaned. "Oh come on. Not _again. _Please."

Evidentially, the ground didn't care much about what I wanted. It continued to roll and heave, in much the same way it had before. I grabbed Jamie and pulled him to the floor, crouching over him and covering both of our heads. Jamie was screaming nonstop and I could hear the men falling to the floor, different voices all crying out.

Then it stopped.

I was breathing hard and trembling again, with Jamie crying underneath me. I stayed crouched over him for a few moments, in case a large piece of plaster decided to come crashing down on our heads just for spite or something. After I was fairly sure that the ceiling wasn't going to collapse and kill us, I slowly looked up.

A mass of nightmarish _things_ stood in my living room. They were vaguely humanoid, but it was a stretch to call them so. They were hideous in a way that I can only describe as rotten somehow, black and rotten. Lank, dirty hair hung around their heads. Their limbs varied in size and shape; their arms ending in hands with claw-like nails, their feet encased in iron shoes. And their faces. Their faces were grotesque and horrific, the faces of monsters. No, monsters had a better, kinder look that these creatures. Their features varied greatly, only sharing the trait that they were all repulsive. They reeked of a disgusting smell that attacked my nose and made me gag.

I shrieked and, once again, pushed Jamie behind me. I looked for the eight strangers but I couldn't see them anywhere. For all I knew, the creatures were standing freaking on top of them.

I started looking around wildly for my golf club, cause I did _not _want to be facing these things unarmed. My instincts screamed at me that these things would kill me without a second thought.

The golf club wasn't anywhere in sight. I swore. Curse the grey-eyed man for taking it away from me. I was totally defenseless now.

I had no sooner thought that when one of them, a particularly ugly one with long yellow teeth and a missing eye, turned towards me and roared, limping forward and raising his rusty, crooked blade. I cowered and didn't even get out a scream. It's funny, when you're facing certain death like that. You sort of freeze, like all of those people on TV who see a car coming at them and just stop, not leaping out of the way or anything. My life didn't flash before my eyes and nothing happened in slow motion. It was happening fast, faster than I would have believed.

It swung its sword back and prepared to strike my head from my shoulders. I closed my eyes and hoped Jamie would be alright, that he would have the good sense to run from these creatures.

When a bloody and violent death did _not_ come a few seconds later I opened my eyes a cautious crack. The monster was no longer standing above me. Instead, it was crumpled onto the floor, _its_ head separated from its shoulders (karma's a bitch ain't she). The grey-eyed man was standing over its body, his silver sword stained with black blood. He looked at me, asking me with his eyes if I was alright. I sort of nodded and he turned back to the battle.

And it was certainly a battle now. A full fledged _war_ was happening, right in my living room. The rest of the men had reappeared and were stabbing and slashing and shooting them, killing them all one by one. A man with silky blonde hair was using a beautiful silver bow, killing _at least _one monster with every arrow. A shorter man with an incredibly long red beard and an iron helm was cutting swaths through the creatures with an ax. The four little men huddled together, daggers held at the ready, downing one of the monsters every once in a while with short experimental jabs. One seemed quite daring, dashing out to attack more often than his small companions were. The guy I had tried to kill via golf club stood in front of the group of little men, protecting them it looked like, and killing most of the creatures that came in his direction.

The grey-eyed man stood in front of Jamie and me, his long sword shining with a silver light as he whirled and slashed at the creatures. A beautiful sword, but deadly. He killed every monster that came in our direction, and I knew immediately that the only reason we were still alive was because of he was protecting us.

Well, that was going to change right now. I was not about to become one those silly girls I had always made fun of on TV, swooning while the men did all of the heroics.

I lurched to my feet and told Jamie to stay as far back as possible from all of the fighting. He nodded, his usually mischievous blue eyes were terrified, and he pressed himself against the farthest wall he could get from the battle.

I saw my golf club by the grey-eyed man's foot. I ran forward and snatched it up, gripping it tightly and ready to swing at any monster who dared to take me on. The grey-eyed man saw me there and yelled something at me that I didn't hear, probably some gallant and chivalrous bull-shit about how it was too dangerous for me to be there and that I should run. He swung his sword and gutted a creature coming right at me.

Alright. Some very logical and rational chivalrous bull-shit, granted. But I can be incredibly stubborn sometimes and there was no way I was leaving and abandoning Jamie. So curse his chivalrous ass.

I gripped the golf club harder and shook my head. The grey-eyed man glared at me with a frustrated look in his eyes, but he didn't say anything more. Instead he whipped out a knife from his belt and handed it to me, hilt first.

Better weapon than a golf club at any rate.

I grabbed the knife and brandished it in what I hoped was a threatening way. Most likely I had just revealed that I knew nothing about wielding pointy weapons. Or _any_ weapons. Well, as long as I tried to stick the pointy end into the monsters and not my temporary allies or myself, I should fine. Hopefully.

The noise was horrible. The clanging of weapon against weapon and the death cries of the monsters deafened me. I've seen plenty of war movies and battle scenes, but none did justice to the horrible, terrifying noise that surrounded me. It pressed against me and it was almost all I could do to not press my hands against my ears to block it out.

A harsh voice screeched above all the noise and the din in the room. "Find the Halflings! Find them!"

Almost instantly, the swell of monsters against the four little men grew thicker and the man defending them started to struggle to hold them all back. As this was happening, however, the amount of creatures fighting us lessened, and the grey-eyed man started moving towards the cluster of monsters surrounding the little men, killing them as he went.

I stayed planted where I was. That was about the limit my courage could handle. And besides, I'm pretty sure I would be of limited use if I tried to run right into the thick of things, if not hindering instead of helping. Instead, I brandished my knife and prayed to God that none of the things would notice me.

No such luck.

A tall monster whose hair was matted with God knows what, and whose face was covered with some kind of white face paint, looked right at me. Its yellow eyes glinted and it brought its, rusted and obviously never cleaned, sword up to its mouth and licked it with slow deliberation. Uh…yuck.

I gripped my knife harder, and, just for the hell of it, sent a challenging and probably vaguely mocking look at the monster. Probably not the smartest thing I ever did in my life since it seemed to bristle at my challenge and then started running at me.

Well, shit. I didn't even have enough time to realize what a bad spot I had put myself in before I had to raise my knife to block its first swing. Pain radiated up my arms at the sheer power that was in its stroke and they instantly cramped. The knife fell out of my numbed hands and I jerked to my left, avoiding his stroke by inches. Its eyes glinted and it swung his sword in an effort to cut me in half.

Alright, new plan. Run for my life.

I ducked out from under its swing and sprinted away from the monster. Glancing back over my shoulder I saw that it was pursuing me, its lips peeled back in a snarl and baring its disgusting, yellowed teeth. It seemed very intent on killing me in the most painful way it knew how. I've got to work on first impressions.

It was overtaking me easily, which wasn't a surprise considering the only exercise I ever did was the little effort it took to fail gym class. And then, right at the worst time ever, my clumsiness decided to act up (another reason I had failed gym class) and I tripped over my own freaking feet. I did an epic face plant and got a terrible rug burn over half my face. That didn't really process, however, because I pretty much panicked that the monster was going to kill me in the next couple of seconds while I was sprawled over the ground. I flipped over and sure enough, it was standing over me with a wicked glint in its alien eyes, its sword positioned to run me through.

For the second time in one day, I prepared myself for the end (which was just hell on my nerves, I'm telling ya). And once again, it didn't come. Instead something small and sharp erupted under its sword arm. An arrowhead. Before my mind could properly register this unexpected turn of events, two more exploded from its throat, spraying a cloud of noxious blood into my face. It screeched long and shrill and collapsed jerkily right on top of me.

I gagged and wriggled out from underneath it as fast as humanly possible. I looked up and saw the pretty, blonde man whirling his bow away from my direction and towards a new target. I don't even think he knew I was there. I shuddered when it sunk in that if he hadn't decided to take out the monster that must have appeared to be escaping, I would be very, very much dead.

That's when I noticed that the battle was over, the last monster dying much the same way the one that had chased me had, falling on top of the grey-eyed man with an arrow in its throat. The grey-eyed man shoved the corpse off of him with much more grace and strength than I had and he stood. Black blood dripped off of his sword and spattered his clothing. His eyes roved the room, taking in everything, from the corpses that littered the ground to the current well-being of his companions, who all appeared to be fine except one of the small men that had a small gash across his forehead. He hurried over to them, probably making absolutely certain that they actually were as fine as they appeared to be.

_Jamie! _The part of my brain that still functioned somewhat suddenly screamed at me. I looked around the room again and noticed that Jamie was sitting in a hallway, far enough away from the battle to avoid get noticed and yet still close enough to watch, with his back to the wall, his face buried in his knees. I walked over and crouched next to him, gently raising his tear-stained face and hugging him hard. Considering how crappy I was feeling at the moment, I can only imagine what it must be like for him. He was only seven years old for heaven's sake. He cried in my shoulder and I let him for a couple minutes, laying my cheek on his hair and comforting him as best I could.

After a few moments I looked in his eyes and said, "Jamie, I need you to go into Mommy and Daddy's room for me." He wasn't going to look at the corpses in the living room for one second longer if I could help it. Besides, Jamie always felt better in our parent's room when he was scared. What child didn't? "I'll be there very soon okay."

Jamie gulped back his sobs and nodded. I stood up and gently pushed him in the right direction. Then I turned back around.

One of the small men, with curly, light-brown hair and the kind of expression that made me think he was quite optimistic, was standing a couple feet away, waiting, it seemed, for me to turn. Once I was facing him, he said, "I didn't want to interrupt you."

I waited, not saying anything. After a moment of silence he continued. "Are you alright Miss?"

I scoffed at him for a second. What a stupid question. Of course I was not alright. What did he expect? "Oh, of course I am," I said, my sarcasm so strong I could practically taste it. He looked at me a little confused and I continued. "My living room is just filled with the corpses of monsters that had appeared out of nowhere and had tried to kill me multiple times. And a bunch of strangers also appeared out of nowhere and I have no idea why they're here or how they got here or what they want." I could feel the hysteria tightening in my chest and tears starting to choke my throat as I sort of shrieked. "But why on Earth wouldn't I be alright? All in a day's work, huh."

I looked back at the living room, seeing the blood, and worse, pooling around the corpses, some of it soaking my own clothing and spattered on my face. Then the stench hit me and this combined with the current overwhelmed state my brain was in caused me to double over and throw-up violently all over the floor. I went down on my hands and knees, my stomach heaving until there was nothing left in my stomach and then long after. It finally calmed somewhat and I stayed crouched there for a while, making sure nothing else was coming up.

Then I noticed my hair had stayed out of my face and I hadn't thrown-up all over it. I looked up and saw the cute little man that had spoken to me was kind of awkwardly holding my hair for me. He let go and I stood up on shaky legs and moved away from the mess I had made.

"Are you alright now?" he asked hopefully.

I almost laughed. I really almost did. I started crying instead. I mean, honestly, who wouldn't? I had been through hell in half-an-hour. I was completely overwhelmed, confused, and emotionally exhausted not to mention physically exhausted as well.

I did what anyone else would do in my situation.

I passed out cold.

**A/N: Yay, I hope you all enjoyed. Super special thanks to Artista321 for reviewing. You were my first reviewer! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. So everyone, again, please review. I always love them :) **


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: For some weird reason, I had a much harder time writing this chapter than the others. I think I rewrote it five times. It was crazy. I finally think that I got it to be somewhat good, but please tell me if it's not up to par. And thank you so much for all of the lovely reviews. They all gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling, and I reread them all a bunch of times. So, please continue to review everybody! And now, please commence reading and hopefully enjoying chapter three.**

**Disclaimer: I think you all have got the point but nothing you recognize belongs to me.**

Chapter Three

I woke up sometime later, in my mom's room with the heavy comforter pulled up around my chin. Now, anyone who lives in California knows that you never _ever_ pull the covers up to your chin in the middle of the summer, never mind using a heavy quilted comforter, so sweat drenched all of my clothes and ran in icky rivulets down my forehead and neck and into my hair. I threw the covers off, vaguely wondered why they were there in 105 degree weather in the first place, and yanked my damp hair off my sweaty neck in an attempt to cool off, quickly twisting the unruly curls into a ball on the top of my head.

Then I remembered the battle with the monsters that had appeared out of nowhere and the weird strangers who knew how to fight with really old-fashioned weapons, and I forget about how dangerously hot I was. I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. _Oh my God that must have been the most vivid dream I ever had_, I thought to myself. _Forget dream, that was a freaking nightmare_. I considered my surroundings in confusion for a second. Jamie must have also had a nightmare and asked me to sleep with him here. It seemed nightmares were running rampant today. I sighed, blowing out all of my breath in one big whoosh of relief.

Still…it was odd that I would have no memory whatsoever of Jamie asking me to sleep with him. I looked to the left to see if Jamie was still sleeping, snuggled up on his right side like he always does.

He wasn't. I crinkled my forehead in confusion. Jamie never wondered around the house alone after he had a nightmare. He actually got to be quite annoying, following me around like a lost puppy. Curiouser and curiouser.*

Then my face suddenly started to hurt like freaking hell. I jerked my hand to my face and stood up, looking into the wall mirror. The entire right side of my face was covered in an angry red burn…that looked a lot like a rug burn.**

My jaw dropped as I remembered one part of my dream. My epic face plant when I was running away from the monster. If my rug burn from my dream was real, what about the rest of it?

I flopped back on the bed and, despite the fact that I was probably a couple degrees above my normal body temperature, covered my head with the blankets. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO. It was a dream, it was a dream, it was a dream, it _had _to have been a dream. _

The bedroom door, whose hinges haven't been oiled in a half a dozen centuries, creaked open like the doors in old haunted houses. I slowly brought the covers down from my face and looked up at the doorway

The grey-eyed man stood in the doorway. His eyebrows raised and he said, "Are you feeling better?"

My eyes widened. I blinked. I froze. Time froze. Life froze. My brain went on rewind, fast-forward, and pause all at the same time as it finally sunk in. It was _not _a dream. Dammit!

Well, only one thing to do now. I reached for the bedside table and chucked the heaviest book I could find right at his face.

He managed to dodge. Curse his stupid freaking reflexes. I scrambled for another missile, preferably a large, potentially deadly one, but before I could grab one he lunged forward and grabbed both of my wrists and held them immobile.

I twisted but he kind of jerked my wrists a little bit and said, "I am _not _going to hurt you. All I want to do is talk to you." I refused to meet his eyes and he sighed. "If I let you go, will you stop throwing things at me?"

I thought about it for a second. On one hand, he was a potentially dangerous stranger that I knew absolutely nothing about, and had suddenly appeared in my living room followed by a bunch of monsters that had tried to kill me. On the other hand, he _had _saved me from those monsters. But again on the one hand, I did _not _trust him. Not by a long shot. But yet again on the other hand, he seemed to be telling the truth. So, after weighing the pros and the cons for an interminable amount of time, I did the stupidest thing I have probably ever done in my life.

I believed him.

I glared my special death-glare at him and nodded once. He let go and I immediately scooted to the far side of the bed and far away from him.

Just because I believed him when he said he wouldn't hurt me did _not _mean I had to trust him.

"Who are you?" I asked, my distrust leaking out into my tone.

"I am Strider," he answered quickly, almost like a reflex, and I found myself doubting that he was telling me the whole truth. Not to mention it was kind of a weird name.

"Okaaaaaay," I said. "What are doing here? What do you want?"

He shrugged. "I do not know. We just appeared here. We were not trying to get here and we certainly do not want to be here." He was silent again.

Well, I wasn't about to stop asking questions. "If you guys didn't come here yourselves, who sent you? Was it magic? How could it be magic? Does magic even exist?"

He ignored them all. How rude. "Did _you_ bring us here?" he asked instead.

I blinked. That was kind of unexpected. "Why would you think that?" I asked, incredulous.

"Why else would we appear at _your _home?" He seemed to bristle a little bit. "Are you collaborating with the enemy?"

Was this guy serious? "Wha- the enemy? Who the hell is this freaking enemy?" It was my turn to get pissed off. "Listen asshole, I have no idea who your enemies are and you know what? I don't really care! You were the one who appeared in _my _house and not two minutes after you came, my entire life goes to hell. So if anyone shouldn't trust anybody, it's _me _who shouldn't trust _you._ So you can either give me a reason to trust you and tell me the _entire _truth or you can get the hell out of my freaking life!"

We both glared at each other, stubbornness clashing against stubbornness, until he finally seemed to relax a little and he almost seemed relieved. "Alright, I had to make sure," he said.

I didn't even blink. I continued to glare daggers at him and waited for him to continue.

He paused then said, "I am not a liberty to tell you everything, but my name is not really Strider," Yeah, _biiiiiiig_ surprise there buddy. "though I am sometimes called that. My name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn and I am the current leader of our company."

He paused, seeming to wait for a reaction of some kind. He got one.

I laughed right at his face. He looked at me, confused, and I scoffed. "Oh please. What do you think I am, stupid? I may not be a total Lord of the Rings lunatic like some people I know, but I do know the main characters names when I hear them. Are you going to tell me your real name, or are you going to continue to insult my intelligence with these ridiculous fake ones that you stole from Tolkien."

The grey-eyed man looked at me, stunned and seemingly at a loss for words for a few moments. Then he said, "Milady, I can assure you that that is indeed my real name. I do not know what this 'Lord of the Rings' you speak of is, but I _am _Aragorn. Why do you doubt me?"

"Okay, I don't know if you've been living under a rock or something because _everyone_ knows what Lord of the Rings is. It's one of the most famous books ever. And you can't be Aragorn because he's one of the main characters to appear in the book. He's _fictional_, not real, fake, whatever you want to call him." I re-noticed his clothes. "Are you guys some kind of Lord of the Rings fanatics or something. Am I in the middle of a role-playing game?"

If possible, the grey-eyed man looked even more confused than he was before. "I _am _real. I _do _exist. Whoever this man you are thinking of is, he is _not _me. What is a role-playing game?"

I blew out my breath in a frustrated sigh. "Okay, you know what? I'll prove it to you."

With that I jumped off of the bed and stomped over to the bookshelf my parents keep in there room. I jerked the big book off the shelf that I had never found the time to read, though I did manage to watch the movies. If you don't like it, you can sue me.

I stomped back over to him, my frustration causing me to forget that I was supposed to be keeping my distance, and flipped through the book until I came to the part where Frodo first met Aragorn. Then I shoved the book in his face and snapped, "There, you see. Aragorn is a fictional character that J. R. R. Tolkien invented and wrote about. And unless fictional characters can suddenly come to life, you are _not _him. So stop being so deluded and get a freaking grip!"

He wasn't listening to me. He had taken the book and was now leafing through the pages, his eyes darting back and forth as he read. He grew pale and his eyes started moving faster. He whirled to face me and said, "How did you get this?"

I was a little bit scared by how intense he was but I said, "The bookstore, just like ever other person in the world."

"This is a complete documentation of everything that has happened to us on our journey. _Everything._" He looked back to the book and flipped faster. "Our quest to destroy the ring, Moria, Lothlorien, _everything_!" He looked back up and seemed to be panicking a little bit. "How can you possibly have this? How can you possibly _know_ this?!"

It was my turn to be stunned. This guy was really freaking out about this whole thing. I was starting to doubt my earlier judgment of him. Could it really be possible that he _was _telling the truth? I mean there was definitely magic going on. They had appeared out of nowhere in a sudden earthquake for crying out loud. Could it really be possible that the characters from Lord of the Rings had come to life?

I remembered their skill with weapons, the very, very much real monsters (or, if I am to continue this train of thought, _orcs_) and the very, very much real way they had tried to kill us all, and finally, when looking back, they all seemed to be the counterparts of the actors in the movies (which must be why they were all so familiar).

My jaw dropped and I had a lightbulb moment. Holy crap, the FELLOWSHIP OF THE FREAKING RING had come to life and appeared in _my_ house.

My goodness, what does one _do_ in these kinds of situations?

While I was having this little revelation, _Aragorn _(no longer to be known as the grey-eyed man I suppose) was still flipping through the book, looking totally freaked. But then, for some reason, the totally freaked look flipped to confused and he looked back at me.

"It becomes blank after we stop on the banks of the Anduin. Right before we appeared in your house."

"It does?" I snatched the book from his hands and looked at it, realizing that he was right. The book was filled with blank pages right after the end of the chapter called _The Great River_. I had no idea what this meant, but whatever it was, there was no way it was anything good. It did, however, confirm my recent belief that the people in my house were the _real_ Fellowship of the Ring and that something magic was going on here.

I closed the book and looked up at Aragorn. "Alright Aragorn. I believe that you're the real Aragorn and not some crazed lunatic pretending to be him. However, if that's the case, how did you get from Middle-Earth to here?"

Aragorn looked a little overwhelmed. "I do not know milady. I do not even know where here is. Can you tell me?"

Oh yeah, he doesn't know Earth exists. Oh boy, _this _explanation should be fun. Downright peachy.

I blew a few stray hairs out of my face and said, "It's a long, _long_ story Aragorn and I really don't want to tell it twice. Let's meet up with the rest of the Fellowship and then I'll tell you everything I know."

Aragorn nodded and, without a word, started walking to the door. I hurried to catch up and I walked out the door after him, on my way to meet the real, live, honest-to-God Fellowship of the Ring.

**A/N: I kinda dragged it on for a little bit long didn't I. I'm sorry guys. I hope you enjoyed it anyway. And now, as promised, REVIEW RESPONSES!**

**Artista321: Yay, I'm so happy you love it! Seriously, seriously thrilled over here :) And I'm glad you enjoyed my little bits of humor. They were so much fun to write. I hope you liked this chapter as much as you liked chapter two (even if I don't ;)) Stay tuned.**

**Snowy (guest): Oh good, I tried really hard to make it as realistic as possible. And your welcome for making a teenage girl OC who does NOT get romantically involved with one of the characters (I'm not sure if it has ever been done before. Gasp). I find it a little bit creepy too, though I have read some stories that have done that and I still love them. I'm really glad you like it and I hope you continue to read.**

**Dreaming Procrastinator: I glad you like her, I like her too. And no worries about English not being your first language, I totally understood your review. I hope you continue to read my story and I really hope you continue to like it. P.S. Love your screen name. It's really awesome :)  
**

**Please review everybody! They inspire me to write faster. Plus, they just plain inspire me ;D **


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Gasp, so many reviews. I'm drunk on reviews. I wrote this chapter late last night really quickly, and since you guys made me so happy with reviews, I'm posting it early. I hope it makes you as just as happy as you guys made me. Enjoy!**

**Explanation: I'm going to clear up any confusion really quickly that I think this chapter is gonna create. First and foremost, I am going to be referencing plot events that happen in the movie but not in the books. The main reasons for this are that I haven't read Return of the King yet, and the plot events in the movie fit in really, really nicely with my story. The event I'm talking about is when Saruman dies on top of Orthanc when Grima stabs him. I know this didn't happen in the book because I looked it up. So yeah, that is what Saruman was talking about in the prologue when he said that "Gandalf was not the only wizard to rise from the dead." Also, the newly alive Saruman kinda messed around with time and took the Fellowship out of ME before the original Saruman died. This is important. The new Saruman also knows things that the original Saruman didn't because he died and he saw things when he was dead and that's just the way things are gonna be in my story. I hope this explanation didn't confuse things for you guys further, but I figured you wouldn't figure that stuff out for yourself. And now that you have read this extremely long authors note, you may start reading chapter four. I think you guys will really like it :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my OCs.**

Chapter Four

_~Saruman's POV~_

So. The Fellowship has followed the Ring into this new world of men. Their determination to destroy the Ring must have been more powerful than I had once thought.

It is of no matter. I did not intend to bring the Fellowship here, but they can do little to stop me once the Ring is in my hands. And the Ring _will_ be in my hands. I have every advantage, and they are ignorant of what I can do.

I am not discouraged that my first attempt to take the Ring has failed. I had little hope it would succeed. The Uruk-hai had failed to bring me the Ring once; it is not surprising that they have failed again. I have other plans, plans that I am far more confident will succeed.

There is one cause for concern. The variable I did not plan for. The girl. She may decide to help the Fellowship, which could become a rather annoying thorn in my side. It would be much easier for me if they were confused and disoriented in a new world that they were unfamiliar with. She could tell them the ways of this world; expand their knowledge of the territory. It is, after all, always easier to fight if you know the terrain. And this is her home. She knows it better than even I do, and she is not the greatest and wisest wizard of Middle-Earth.

However, she is not much of a threat. If need be, I could easily destroy her. But not yet. She could prove to be useful. The people of this world are weak-minded, and she is no exception. I could persuade her to help me, to take the Ring herself once the Fellowship trusts her. And if she succeeds, I would destroy her and the Ring would finally be mine.

Yes, that would work nicely.

In the meantime, however, there are other allies I can call. Allies that are drawn to the Ring and bound to it. They serve the Ring, and consequentially, they will serve me once I am in control of its power.

The Nazgûl.

**A/N: Oooo, ominous. I hope you guys liked reading this little tidbit of Saruman's mind. I really, really liked writing it. And now, without further ado, REVIEW RESPONSES!**

**Elvish Cupcake: You are amazing for writing so many reviews all at once. I enjoyed each and every one of your reviews and I read them all several times. I hope you liked this chapter as much as the others and I really hope you continue to read :)**

**Artista321: Don't worry, I'm going to keep writing. I like this story too much to stop. And your just gonna have to keep reading to find out what I'm going to do with Boromir's death. Bwah ha ha ha ha haaah. But don't worry (again), Boromir is one of my favorites and I'm definitely gonna do something epic with him.**

**Dreaming Procrastinator: Yay, I'm happy that you liked chapter three as much as the other chapters. I just had a hard time writing it for some reason. And the interaction with the other characters is comin up. Definitely going to be in the next chapter. So stay tuned!**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yeah, I know that I took freaking FOREVER to post this chapter. I'm sorry guys but life decided to intervene and I have been so busy trying to get prepared for school starting. I only have one more week of freedom :( But I finally got my act together and got this chapter done! And since I don't have a super long explanation this time you can all get straight to reading. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.  
**

Chapter Five

_~Sydney's POV~_

I stumbled along the hall after Aragorn, struggling to keep up with his brisk pace. My hands felt clammy and I fretted at my lip as we headed towards what seemed to be the kitchen. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel nervous about telling them that they had been ripped out of their world and plonked into a new one that they didn't even know existed. I mean, honestly, how would you react if someone told you that?

Probably not good. I wrung my hands, caught myself doing it, and stopped, mentally telling myself to get a freaking grip. I took a deep breath, blew it out, and then walked into the kitchen with very well faked confidence.

The hobbits were all talking to each other at the table looking way too small for the big wooden chairs. Gimli was standing with them, leaning on his double-bladed axe, and occasionally injecting his opinion into their conversation. Legolas was perched on top of the island's granite countertop. All of his weapons were spread out next to him and he appeared to be inspecting them all for some kind of damage. Boromir was leaning against the wall, his gigantic shield propped against the refrigerator door (now with a golf club shaped dent near the top. Oops). His arms were crossed and his head was bowed, his eyes occasionally flicking up at something the hobbits said, but always reverting back to downcast.

Every single one of them stopped whatever they were doing and looked at me as I entered the room, reminding me vividly of the uncomfortable feeling when you walk into a classroom late and all of the other students instantly look at you and make you feel as though you had done something terribly wrong. I stopped in my tracks and looked right back at each of them in turn. Yeah, two can play at that game.

"SYYYYYDNEEEEEY!" a small figure rocketed towards me like a miniature freight train and plowed right into me, nearly knocking me down. I managed to recover my balance, barely, and ruffled his black hair fondly.

"Hey kiddo, what's up?"

Jamie buried his face into my waist. "You're not dead," he said, his voice muffled a little bit.

"Of course not! What gave you that idea?"

Jamie looked up at me. "You weren't moving and they wouldn't let me stay in mommy's room with you. They _said_ you were okay but you didn't look it."

I smiled at him. Sometimes, despite being an annoying pain-in-the-ass, Jamie could be sweet. "Well, I'm fine kiddo. No worries. Now let go of me so I can get some oxygen here."

Jamie reluctantly let go and I sucked in a grateful breath. Geez, that kid had a grip. I would probably have bruises tomorrow.

I looked back up and saw that the hobbits had all gotten up from their chairs. They walked up until they were all standing in front of me in more-or-less a line. One, Frodo I suspected, moved forward an extra step and bowed low. "Good evening Miss. May I have the honor of introducing myself and my companions to you?"

I blinked at his formality, then remembered how important hobbits consider manners, both their own and other's. I inclined my head regally. "But of course," I said in my fancy voice, giggling internally so as to not hurt his feelings.

Frodo bowed again and said, "Thank you Miss. My name is Frodo Baggins and this is Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck, and Peregrin Took." He gestured to each in turn, confirming my original guesses, and they bowed. These guys were awfully fond of bowing. "We are all hobbits of the Shire."

Pippin broke in saying, "You may call me Pippin and Meriadoc here usually goes by Merry."

Sam elbowed him, but Pippin didn't take the hint and said, "And you can call this fellow here Sam. We're all very pleased to meet you."

This time Merry elbowed him, harder than Sam had. Pippin finally took the hint and shut up, allowing Frodo to continue the introductions. Frodo grinned then turned towards the others and proceeded in telling me what I already knew. "This is Gimli, son of Gloin," Gimli grunted _pleased to meet you lass_, and jerked his head roughly, "Legolas of the Woodland Realm," Legolas bowed his head gracefully, touching his hand to his heart and extending it towards me, "And Boromir of Gondor," Boromir stole my regal nod and managed to make it look ten times more awesome and noble than I did.

Frodo turned back towards me. "And you have already met Aragorn." Aragorn didn't say anything, acknowledging me by nodding his head a fraction of an inch.

It was silent for a few moments, then, as the introductions had been finished, all of the hobbits started launching rapid-fire questions at me. "Where are we? Who are you? How did we get here? What is going on? When are we going to eat?" The torrent of never ending questions swirled and pressed against me until I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't tell which question was which, much less answer them.

I looked at the taller members of the Fellowship, hoping that one of them would come to my rescue. Instead, they all looked amused and didn't do a single thing to help me. I shot them my death-glare and then focused my attention back on the hobbits. They were all still prattling away, and I decided to shut them up my way.

I took a deep breath and screamed at the top of my lungs. That shut them up almost instantly, and, after a few moments for effect, I allowed my scream to slowly peter out. I glanced at the frazzled Fellowship. Aragorn and Boromir both looked peeved and Legolas looked peeved _and_ slightly pained, his hands clamped over his sensitive ears. The hobbits all looked like they had been scared out of their wits, but Gimli just looked amused, chuckling under his breath. He winked at me and I felt rather smug and proud of myself. I did that at school once and had gotten pretty much the same result. And a visit to the principal's office. Oh well.

I looked down at the startled hobbits and said, "Alright fellas, here's the deal. I'll tell you everything I know and if you still have questions you can ask them afterwards." I glared at them. "_One at a time_."

I didn't wait for a reply. I turned on my heel and headed for the dining room, gesturing for the Fellowship to follow me. I strode in, sat at the head of the table and pulled Jamie into my lap. The rest of the Fellowship followed my example and waited in silence for me to speak.

I took a deep breath and thought about the best way to start. Well, the beginning is as good a place as any I suppose. "Have you guys ever heard of a world called Earth?"

One by one they all shook their heads, except for Legolas. He looked thoughtful and said, "There is a very old story about a land called Earth and its peoples. Even among the elves it is unknown whether it is truth or legend. It is not a commonly told, or known story, and I doubt if there are many who have heard it. I myself have only heard it once, long ago when I was but an elfling and being told tales."

He went silent and Pippin said. "What does that have to do with where we are?"

I hesitated briefly, wondering how to go about this. I went for as bluntly as possible. "Well Legolas, it wasn't a myth. Earth is real and that's where you all are right now. In a country called the United States of America, in a state called California to be specific. You may proceed to freak out now if you want."

I leaned back in my chair and waited. Silence. A cricket chirped somewhere. More silence. After about a century of silence, Gimli leaned forward and said, "Wait a minute lassie, you are telling us that we are in a different _world_?"

"Exactly. My name is Sydney and this is my little brother Jamie. We live here, in this house that you guys got plonked into. I do not know how the hell you got here, but I figure it must have been something in your world, because magic doesn't really exist here. I mean, a wizard or something in Middle-Earth could have done this, right?"

Boromir's brow furrowed and he said, "Wait, how do you know about Middle-Earth? We knew nothing of your world, of Earth. How do you know about ours?"

Oh boy, here it comes. "Well…there is a book here, a famous book, which was written by a man named J. R. R. Tolkien. I don't know how, but somehow he knew everything about your journey to destroy the One Ring. Everything that has happened to you and everything that would have happened had you stayed in Middle-Earth where you belong was written in that book. So, I kinda know everything about you all."

Stunned silence followed for a few moments more, then Merry said, "How do we know you are telling the truth. No offense, but that is crazy! How can we believe that?"

Well, now I feel insulted, screw the fact that that comment was actually quite rational. I was about to shoot my mouth off about how, if I was lying, I could possibly know about their quest to destroy the Ring. That wasn't exactly public information after all. I had barely thought of the perfect wise-ass comment and sucked in a breath, however, when Aragorn cut me off and said, "She is telling the truth. I have seen this book myself." He turned towards me. "However, the book was blank after our journey up to this point was documented. How do you know what happens afterwards?"

I blew out the irritated breath I was going to use for my awesome retort. "Well, like I said, the book wasn't supposed to blank for all of those pages. You were supposed to still be in Middle-Earth right now. Something screwy is going on, messing with what's supposed to happen. I suppose the reason the book is blank is because the plot could change if you don't get back."

"How _are_ we going to get back?" Pippin asked, looking a little worried.

Silence. Translation: No one has a flippin' clue.

Frodo spoke up. "Aragorn, if we can't get back, how are we going to get to Mordor?"

"I do not know Frodo. We will _have _to find our way back, we have no other choice." Aragorn looked at me, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Hey, don't look at me. _I _don't know how to get you guys back to your world. I don't know anything about magic, remember? If anyone would know how to get you out of here it would be you guys."

"Gandalf would have known," Frodo said softly, his eyes downcast. Everyone looked unbearably sad at his words, doubtless remembering how their friend fell to his supposed death. I started to tell them that Gandalf was actually alive, that he came back to help them, but I stopped myself. I remembered all of the books I had read and the movies I had seen where knowing the future had terrible consequences on the plotline and the characters. I had a feeling that this was not an exception to the rule, despite the fact that plotline was pretty much screwed anyway. So I kept my mouth shut.

"Yes, he would have," Aragorn said sadly. "But Gandalf is not here and we must figure this out without him." Aragorn's voice gained just a touch of desperation, "Is there _anything_ in Earth that can help us Sydney?"

I sighed. "No, there's not. At least, not that _ I_ know of. But there is no magic on Earth, I've already said that. I have no idea how to get you guys back. You're on your own with that."

Aragorn sighed in frustration and said nothing. No one said anything for a minute. Then Sam clapped his hands together and said, "Well, it seems we're not going to figure this out tonight. It's getting late anyway. Why don't we have a good night's sleep and we can think more about this whole matter in the mornin'."

Pippin instantly agreed to this and the others reluctantly nodded in acceptance that this was probably the best thing to do. When everyone had agreed, except for Aragorn who seemed lost in thought, I stood up and said, "Well, I suppose I had better find room for you all then."

**A/N: Yay, the Fellowship now knows what's going on now and I don't have to write any more chapters where everyone is constantly explaining everything to each other. I, at least, am super excited about that. Now the fun stuff begins! Anyway, thank you all for the wonderful reviews everyone. I loved each and every single one. Please continue to review you guys, I'll take anything from constructive criticism to little smiley faces. **

**Review Responses:**

**Meggleshi: Welcome to my story! I'm so happy you like it so far and I hope you also liked this chapter. Don't worry, I promise my next update will be faster than this one was. Stay tuned :)**

**Dreaming Procrastinator: Hmmm, very interesting observation. There's more Saruman in the next chapter, so keep reading to see what happens next.  
**

**Elvish Cupcake: Oh my gosh, you have no idea how happy you made me with your review. I feel so special! Hope you like this chapter as much as the rest of my story and please keep reading. The next chapter gets a little more exciting ;)**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey you guys! Sorry this update is sooooo late, but life decided to slam school into my face and things have been just crazy. Hope you don't hate me ;) Anyhoo, I was going to add another section to the end of this chapter, but I figured you all would want this chapter sooner rather than later. So that section will be the next chapter. Now, please enjoy chapter six :)**

Chapter Six

I collapsed into bed sometime later with an exhausted sigh of relief. It had been murder getting everyone hooked up for the night. I had magically needed to find eight sleeping spaces and my house was only so big. And of course all of the hobbits had needed bedtime snacks.

It was particularly difficult since the living room was unavailable for obvious reasons, which meant no sofa bed (which was probably ruined). I wasn't about to step foot in that place anyway. I did, however, send Aragorn in there to empty a can of Febreze (who would have thought that it actually worked as good as the ads said). And Legolas absolutely refused to sleep outside in the hammock because, evidently, they had stacked the bodies of the orcs outside while I had been passed out. I'm praying to God that the neighbors don't notice them before I have time to deal with that little problem.

So I've mostly had to resort to sleeping bags and floors for the Fellowship. At least they're used to it by now.

_Well_, I told myself,_ stop thinking about all of that. Go to sleep, you're going to need it_. I rolled onto my side, kicked the blanket off, rolled onto my other side, rearranged the sheet, rolled onto my back, turned the fan on, tossed and turned constantly for a good ten minutes, and then finally shut my eyes.

_~Lord of the Rings~_

I was standing in blackness, cold mist curling around my legs and spreading along the ground in a thick blanket. I couldn't see the floor, or the sky, and there was nothing material in the room for as far as the eye could see. It felt horribly empty and I shuddered, wrapping my arms around myself.

"Hello," I called. It echoed around the strange place, answering my call over and over again with my own voice.

"Do not be afraid," another voice suddenly said. I jerked and my eyes flicked wildly around me, searching for the speaker. He laughed and said, "You cannot see me. You can only hear me. Do not be afraid."

"Why shouldn't I be? What are you?" I asked warily.

"You have no reason for fear. Nothing will you hurt you. I am someone you can trust." His voice did indeed seem trustworthy to me, soft and kind, and I found myself relaxing.

"Yes, there is no need to fear Sydney, daughter of Michael and Susan. I am a friend. Trust me." His voice wrapped around me like a comforting blanket, warming me from the cold and I believed him. How could one who sounded so nice be untrustworthy? So I trusted the voice without question, never thinking to wonder how he knew my name or my parents' names.

"I trust you."

"Good," he purred. "Good. I am glad that you trust me Sydney. I am your friend; you do not have to be afraid of me."

_Of course not_, I thought. _Why was I afraid in the first place?_ "I'm not afraid." I said, certain now that I trusted this voice, that he would not harm me. "But, why did you come?"

"You needed me and I have come to help you," he said. "You do not understand what has happened to you and shall need my counsel."

"You mean the Fellowship. You know why they're here?"

"I cannot say. I can only advise you on what's to come."

"Well advise away," I said impatiently.

He chuckled. "Not now. When the time is right."

I sighed impatiently. "What can you do to help me _now_?"

He laughed again. "When the time is right, Sydney."

"What do you mean, 'When the time is right'? When will the time be right?"

He didn't answer. I was once again alone in the blackness, without even a disembodied voice to talk to. The mist started to feel cold, so I curled into a ball and waited for the voice to come back.

I suppose the time wasn't right.

_~Lord of the Rings~_

My eyes opened slowly and, for a second, I was confused to see my ordinary room around me instead of the blackness. The sun shone softly through the window and birds chirped outside.

_Huh, I guess it was just a dream_. I scoffed at myself. _Talking to your own subconscious, Sydney? Not a good sign. _

"Ugh." I pressed the heel of my hands against my eyes. I had a splitting headache, which was unusual since sleep usually dispelled my headaches. I didn't often wake up with one. Just another thing that's so bright and shiny about my existence right now.

The birds continued to chirp their loud and squeaky chirps outside and I abruptly wished I had a BB gun on hand. Wincing, I slowly dragged myself up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. "Goddamn birds," I muttered as I sleepily walked through the door and headed toward the kitchen.

I stumbled into the kitchen and was nearly blinded by the light coming from the sliding door and windows. I winced and blocked the light with my arm, muttering a few curses about the light, mornings, headaches, and life in general.

"G'morning Sydney," someone said cheerfully and I resisted the urge to snap that person's head off. I glared through the light and saw that it was Pippin. Figures.

Oh great, now they're all saying it. My eyes adjusted to the light and I saw that Legolas, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Jamie were in the room. Every single one of them were dressed and looked cheerful and energetic. God, I hate morning people.

I walked over to the medicine cupboard and pulled out the ibuprofen. Unscrewing the cap, I quickly popped six into my mouth. Yeah, I know they say that you should only have like two or something, but I swear whoever made up that dumb rule has never had a migraine before. I swallowed them dry (water's for wimps) and choked. I quickly gulped a mouthful of water from the sink and only then was I able to get the pills down my throat. I guess I know what that qualifies me as.

Finally, I looked back at the current occupants in the room and I snapped, "Good morning? More like a goddamn freaking bad morning!"

The Fellowship members looked a little shocked but Jamie said, "Don't worry guys; she's like this every morning. It's not personal or anything."

"Yeah, I'm a regular monster," I growled and I moved out from behind the counter and over to the table. Almost instantly, every single Middle-Earth native in the room blushed and looked away from me. I glared at them. "What!?" I snapped. I mean, it wasn't like I had suddenly grown two heads or something.

Merry swallowed and, still averting his eyes, said, "Your legs are showing Milady."

I scowled at him. "Oh for Heaven's sake!" So I wear pajama shorts on a hot summer night. Sue me.

I stomped back to my room, yanked on a pair of sweat pants, and stomped back into the kitchen. "Happy now?"

No one answered, but no one looked away either. I took that as a yes.

I slumped into a chair and said, "So where's the rest of ya guys?"

"Aragorn, Boromir, and Gimli are outside disposing of the Uruk-Hai. They should be back inside soon," Legolas said, and as soon as the last word left his mouth, the missing companions in question reappeared through the sliding door.

I felt a little apprehensive. "What did you guys do?" I asked, and I quickly looked out at my backyard. The entire lawn had been ripped up, now freshly dug up dirt, and had assumably been used as a mass grave. At least they had left my mother's garden alone.

I felt a little steamed. I didn't like the fact that practically my entire yard had been turned into a monster graveyard without my permission. And on top of that I had a headache, morning people bug me, I have had no coffee, and there was no breakfast. More things to pile onto the "reasons to hate my life" list.

I gritted my teeth and said, "Breakfast. Better. Be here. By. The time. I get. Back." Then I stomped back out of the room, into the shower and tried to melt away my problems.

It worked temporarily. I love hot showers. I stayed in for about twenty minutes, then hopped out and got dressed. Thinking of the Fellowship, I made sure to wear jeans and not shorts and a "cool slogan" T-shirt. I brushed out my wet hair, slipped on about twenty-five rings and felt calm and hungry enough to head back into the kitchen.

My senses were assaulted with the acrid smell of smoke the second I stepped out my door. Oh no. They _didn't_.

I flew into the kitchen and screeched to a halt. Yes. Yes they did.

A merry little campfire was burning away in my kitchen, bacon sizzling in a little frying pan on top. Sam was next to the fire, tending to the food undoubtedly, but he looked up at me when I cam in. "Lady Sydney. I hope you don't mind, but we couldn't find a fireplace in the house and we figured this was how you normally do the cookin'. Bacon's just about ready."

I wasn't really paying attention to him. I was too busy mentally counting down in my head. Five…four…three…two…one…

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Every single smoke alarm in the house went off at once in an extremely loud cacophony of alarms. Everyone winced and grabbed their ears, but I thought poor Legolas was going to die or something. I guess there are disadvantages to being an elf after all.

I fled to the garage, snatched up the fire extinguisher we keep there, and ran back to the kitchen, nearly tripping over the fleeing Lil' Miss in the process. I pulled the pin, squeezed the nozzle, and proceeded to empty the contents onto the little campfire.

It didn't take long for the fire to be out, but the smoke alarms didn't stop. I grabbed Jamie and yelled at him to start opening windows and doors, then did the same myself. I also grabbed a broom and tried to wave the smoke away from the alarms in an attempt to trick them that the smoke was gone. All-in-all, it was around ten minutes that the alarms ran non-stop.

When they did finally stop, I let the broom drop in relief. My ears were still ringing from the constant beeping of the alarms, which did nothing for my headache I'm telling ya. I sighed and walked back into the kitchen to check on how the Fellowship coped with the whole ordeal.

Not well. They all seemed rather panicky and most of them were still holding their ears. Poor Legolas was in pretty much the same state he had been in when the alarm was going off. When I walked in, Aragorn's eyes snapped to mine and he said, "What in the Valar's name was _that_?!"

"A smoke detector. They're supposed to warn anyone in the house if there's a fire. Since we don't usually set _campfires_ in the house, it's usually no problem." I glared at the frazzled Fellowship and then at the blackened portion of our hardwood floors. I did _not_ take enough ibuprofen for this.

Jamie came scampering into the room and screeched, "That was awesome! We should so do that again!" Yep. Definitely not enough ibuprofen.

I walked over to where Sam was standing and said, "Let me teach you about something here on Earth that we like to call a _stove_."

**A/B: Hope you liked it! Please leave a review everyone :)**

**Review Responses:**

**The Random Oliphaunt: Haha, Now I can't get the image of zombie Saruman out of my mind. Hmmm, not exactly the mental image I had intended. Oh, and to answer your question, yes he is already on Earth. Sorry if that wasn't clear. The rest you'll have to read to find out ;)**

**Elvish Cupcake: The first incident from being in Earth! Hope it made you laugh. More action will commence soon if all goes according to plan.**

**Dreaming Procrastinator: Yay the hobbits were in character :) I probably rewrote their dialogue about ten times with that goal in mind. Glad you enjoyed and I hope you also liked this chapter.**

**Uniquely X: I'm honored that you left a review and I hope you continue to do so. I'll try to update soon, but like I said, life is crazy. Please continue to read though.**

**Artista321: Yay, someone likes my humor! Now I'm all happy :D P.S. Hope you update your story soon, I can't wait to find out what happens.**

**Spottedmask12: Another reviewer! Hope you'll continue to read and enjoy this story. Don't forget to leave a review.**


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